“Frandship” ads

So I was browsing through the Bangalore Mirror the other day (don’t ask why!) and i casually look towards my left and my eyes fell on the classifieds page. Generally, most classifieds look the same to me. But there were a series of repetitions on this page that caught my attention.

I look closer and … (Well, I’ll post the photo when I get home because a photo does speak a thousands words)

This is an everyday average newspaper! Well, a supplement. But it still comes along with the paper with the quota of local, national and international news and some gossip and a lot of made up stuff too. The sort of paper which uncles, aunts, kids and everyone reads. And they are blatantly advertising for call girls in the paper? Does anyone find this hilarious?

Is this even legal? I mean everyone knows what these ‘friendship clubs’ are all about. Like we know what those ‘rich businessman seeking pleasant companion’ is all about. Or those ads on late night tv where a girl says you can call her to be friends.

In a country like India where sexuality is so repressed, it is hilarious to actually see such ads being openly displayed.

We had to pass through the city centre to get to the central railway/bus station when I was a kid. There was one particular road that led to it, covered with theatres, shops and old buildings. One never looked too close at the boards or attempted to read them unless you were looking for something in particular. Like, the sexual diseases clinic that actually read “Treatment for sexual diseases”. Or theatres that had innocuous looking posters that seemed like a movie you probably saw the listing for but when you looked closer, it turned out to be a slight play on the actual title. And perhaps the plot. Most of those places were so creepy that you’d wonder what sort of perverted and depraved people would go there.

Those there the days of … hidden sexuality. Now, it still continues to be repressed… but there are better openings for people to access them. All you need to do is open the newspaper.

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3 thoughts on ““Frandship” ads”

The immoral traffic (prevention) act, 1956 is a little bit of ambiguous, confused and aimless piece of legislation, just the way this comment is going to be.

The Act does not say prima-facie prostitution or to solicit prostitution is illegal. Also, it does not say prima-facie to prostitute or to solicit prostitution is legal. All it says is- a person can not solicit sexual services in 200 m^2 radius of a public place, indirectly implying a person can not solicit prostitution anywhere, and where he/she can solicit, probably no-one would be able to go seeking.

Any how, coming back to the issue you have raised here which would be a criminal offence, I think public prosecutor has legs to stand a trial in court, but then again defence attorney shall say the advertisement never intended to solicit sexual services or more intimate services. Or he might just bribe public prosecutor and judge/magistrate just to make everyone involved around the case’s life easier.

To my opinion, to kerb prostitution/pimping, they should just legalise it, and extremely heavily directly or indirectly tax it. Whole developed world is doing it with gambling, prostitution, and soft drugs. Why shouldn’t India do it (Oh yeah I forgot corrupt cops won’t let it happen since it shall reduce their kickbacks)? But think about it, if government puts a direct tax on call girl or indirect tax on Banglore Mirror say 300% of friendship (frandship???) advertisement revenue, then who will go advertise there?

BTW, I recently read, somewhere in Asia and Europe, the prostitution laws are amended in such a way that the client is the one who is committing the offence, and not the sexual service provide. What’s your take on that one?

Actually, I wasn’t thinking so much about the legal issues. Anyone who wants to find some knows where to find it. But it was quite hypocritical to have these ads in such a repressed country as India. I am all for legalising it. It would definitely solve a lot of problems, health and economic, as well as spare those cops who harass these women to do some useful work.
As for the last bit… interesting. And I totally support it. It is high time some of the stigma moved onto people who are soliciting these people, or the ones who force them into such work, instead of just the women, who are actually the victims.